Afghan Police Official Injured in Bomb Blast in Kandahar - 2004-04-14

Authorities in Afghanistan say a senior police official has been wounded in a bomb blast near a U.S. military base in the southern city of Kandahar.

Officials said the bomb planted on a main road was apparently detonated by remote control when a car carrying the city's security chief, General Salim Khan, passed by Wednesday morning.

General Khan suffered injuries to his face and right arm and was treated at a local hospital. His bodyguards, who were also wounded in the blast, were said to be in stable condition.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. But authorities blamed it on remnants of the ousted Taleban regime.

The blast is reported to be first since January in Kandahar, which is a former Taleban stronghold and the home city of the fundamentalist regime's fugitive leader, Mullah Omar.

The Taleban and their al-Qaida allies have declared a "holy war" against foreign and Afghan government troops, as well as aid agencies. They have also warned Afghan civilians not to participate in the country's first free elections expected later this year.